Modifications for the Daily Energy Medicine Routine

If you are making use of the Daily Energy Wellness Routine, and finding that it works for you sometimes but not all the time, here are some ways to modify it to fit your needs.

If you aren’t yet familiar with the Daily Energy Wellness Routine – a staple of my Wholistic Wellness program – I recommend that you use it as is (or with as few modifications as necessary) before trying these modifications.

Abbreviated Routine

Many people find that one of the biggest challenges to the Daily Energy Routine is time. Some days (or many days), you may feel like you just can’t fit it in. The routine, as I do it, takes about 15 minutes. The exercises themselves can be done in 10 minutes, but I recommend doing mindful breathing through the sequence, which brings it closer to 15 and sometimes 20 minutes, depending on how long you work with each step.

When I’m pressed for time, however, I can get through this routine in 5 – 10 minutes by dropping a few of the exercises, and moving more quickly through others. Here’s the abbreviated routine I’ve developed:

• The 4 Thumps
• Wayne Cook Posture
• The Cross Crawl (I’ll drop this when really pressed for time, and find other ways to bring crossover energy into my day)
• Connecting Heaven and Earth
• The Zip-Up and the Hook-Up

Clearly, you can modify this routine to shorten it in any number of ways. I try to keep the exercises that I find the most necessary for how I’m feeling that day, and either drop the rest or work them into my day later.

Sitting vs. Standing

Most of the exercises in the Daily Energy Wellness Routine can be done either sitting or standing. When I broke my ankle and was completely off my feet for 4 weeks, I was able to do all of the exercises while sitting in an armchair, with a few modifications.

Sitting modifications:

The Cross Crawl can be easily done sitting down, by raising up one leg and bringing the opposite hand to touch that knee, and then switching. This is an important modification because when you’re struggling with energy for any reason, the Cross Crawl can feel like too much. But doing it sitting down makes it much more manageable.

Connecting Heaven and Earth is the most challenging to do sitting. I’ve found that when possible, using a chair without arms makes it easier to achieve the posture.

Getting the Most Out of Your Routine

As time pressures can frequently be an obstacle, I’ve made the time I set aside for my Daily Energy Routine as valuable as possible by incorporating an important Wholistic Wellness practice into my session: being outdoors. And when possible, being in the sun, to add the benefits of sun therapy* to my routine. When in the sun, try to avoid wearing glasses or contact lenses that block UV rays (they all do). Unfiltered sunlight in our eyes helps to increase our serotonin levels which help regulate our sleep cycles and improve our mood.

Being in nature is one of the simplest, and most critical components to our health. You can read about some of the reasons (and ways) to make outdoor time a regular routine in my article, 5 Tips for Adding Nature Connection to Your Routine.

*Use caution and common sense when it comes to being in the sun. If you have sun sensitivity, live in a hot climate, or are practicing during the summer, I strongly recommend only being in direct sunlight early in the day, while you can still get the benefits of sunlight but aren’t being exposed when the sun is strong.

Bringing a Spiritual Component Into Your Routine

As one of the more overlooked aspects of the 5 areas of Wholistic Wellness, spiritual health is just as critical to our overall health as every other aspect of wellness. No matter what your faith or spiritual practice entails, you can add a component of that to this energy practice in some simple ways.

If nature is your church, as it is for many regardless of their religious beliefs (or lack thereof), simply bringing your routine outdoors is a great addition.

I found that a natural place to add prayer or thanks to the Daily Energy Routine was after Connecting Heaven and Earth when resting with both hands over my heart center. One day I was moved to begin honoring and thanking the directions while breathing at the conclusion of this exercise. I don’t always have the time to include this, but if I know I have a busy day and won’t get a chance to incorporate my spiritual practice otherwise, I try to include it here.

You can pause here or any other place in the sequence to rest with your hands over your heart center, or in prayer position, to either offer a prayer or give thanks for the day.

Another way to add a spiritual component is to include a short meditation, like the Tree of Life to the beginning or end of your routine.

These modifications are just the beginning. There are endless ways to shorten, lengthen, and expand the Daily Energy Wellness Routine to incorporate the aspects of wellness most critical to you.

If you develop a modification that you really like, feel free to share in the comments below, or by getting in touch.